Department for Transport

Cycling and Walking: Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding local authorities have been allocated for the Governments Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans.

Jesse Norman: The Department is currently funding a £2 million programme of support to assist 46 local authorities with the preparation of their Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs). LCWIPs are used to identify and prioritise investment for cycling and walking schemes from local funds and relevant national funding streams, such as the Transforming Cities Fund, Future High Streets Fund, Housing Infrastructure Fund and the Clean Air Fund. Decisions on future funding for cycling and walking will be made in the context of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Cycling and Walking: Portsmouth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will allocate funding to Portsmouth City Council for the implementation of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans.

Jesse Norman: It is for local authorities to identify and prioritise investment for cycling and walking schemes from local funds and relevant national funding streams. Funding opportunities are available through a range of place based funds, including the Transforming Cities Fund, Future High Streets Fund, Housing Infrastructure Fund and the Clean Air Fund.

Cycling: Accidents

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to reduce the number of accidents involving bicycles on UK roads.

Jesse Norman: The Government is focused on making cycling and walking safer and easier, and to that end the Department for Transport undertook a major cycling and walking safety review in 2018. Following an extensive public consultation, the Department published its full response and a detailed two year action plan on 22 November 2018, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/governments-response-to-the-cycling-walking-investment-strategy-safety-review

International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to comply with the Ballast Water Management Convention; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK has begun the process to develop legislation to implement the requirements of the Ballast Water Management Convention and is currently collating the data and information required in order to complete the legislative process. The UK has not yet acceded to the Convention but expects to introduce legislation and accede to the Convention in Autumn 2019.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Buckinghamshire

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has held with representatives of Fusion on the protection of wildlife on the 200 acres near Steeple Claydon due for clearance for High Speed Two.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport have been in regular dialogue with Fusion regarding vegetation clearance near Steeple Claydon. HS2 Ltd have carried out assurance on their contractors, including Fusion, to ensure that all relevant environmental due diligence has been followed. All direct and/or indirect HS2 activities have to comply with the Environmental Minimum Requirements as set out alongside the High Speed Rail (London to West Midland) Act 2017.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Buckinghamshire

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taken to ensure the protection of (a) birds during the breeding season and (b) other wildlife at the protected nature reserve at Calvert Jubilee Buckinghamshire during ground clearance activities by HS2 Ltd.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd and their contractors will comply with all relevant legislation, HS2 Environmental Minimum Requirements, as well as any applicable Protected Species Licences when dealing with ecology within HS2 limits. The following protection measures are in place for vegetation clearance activities: A. For all birds during nesting season - A “Permit to Clear” System will apply. A suitably qualified ecologist will assess existing survey data and then verify this with surveys of the site in advance of the vegetation clearance taking place. Once the area has been confirmed to be free of nesting birds then clearance can commence.  B. Other wildlife at the Calvert Jubilee Local Nature Reserve – The “Permit to Clear” System is applicable; however, should the area be known to contain Protected Species, such as Great Crested Newt and Badgers, then the HS2 Ltd contractors will work in accordance with the HS2 Ltd organisational licences for these species. Where surveys identify other Protected Species present then contractors would undertake works in accordance with their legal protection and, where necessary, apply for mitigation licences from Natural England. Mitigation measures will be carried out under the supervision of suitably qualified ecologists where necessary.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of the visit by (a)  Stephen Clark, sponsor, High Speed Rail Group HS2 phase 2b  (b) Andrew Rees, Head of Economic and Commercial Analysis  HS2 Ltd and (c) Bernadette Hurd, Benefits Strategy and Capability Manager HS2 Ltd to the recent High Speed Rail event in Budapest.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The construction of HS2 will help to build the skills base the UK rail industry needs to export around the world. The UK High Speed Rail Workshop in Budapest on 20-21 February was funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from the Cross-Government Prosperity Fund, and organised in association with the Department for International Trade and the UK High Speed Rail Industry Leaders group to support UK suppliers developing international business and to promote investment into the UK. All costs incurred were in line with normal expense policies.

Electric Vehicles: Bicycles

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to address the anomaly whereby using an electric bicycle requires a motorcycle licence and needs to be registered with the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency NI.

Jesse Norman: Driver licensing and the use of electrically assisted pedal cycles on public roads in Northern Ireland is a transferred matter. Until the NI Assembly re-convene there are no plans to bring forward legislation on this issue.

Eurostar: Standards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for delays to services departing the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras station in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Andrew Jones: The Government, as part of responsible planning for all scenarios, has analysed the potential for disruption at St Pancras station in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, including consideration of the impact on Eurostar services. That work has shown the potential for disruption in certain worst case scenarios, which has helped to inform our contingency planning work. Industry, working with Government and other stakeholders, are in advanced stages of ensuring that plans are in place to effectively mitigate these risks.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 December 2018 to Question 202714 on Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme, when he plans to write to the Right Hon. Member for Delyn on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

Kelly Tolhurst: I shall be writing to the rt. hon. Member on this matter within the next two weeks.

Job Creation: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to help businesses to create more highly skilled jobs in the East Midlands.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Industrial Strategy is our long-term plan to boost productivity by backing businesses to create high-quality, well paid jobs throughout the United Kingdom, with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure. The Government is supporting businesses in the East Midlands through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, which brings together world-class UK research with business investment to develop the technologies that will transform existing industries and create entirely new ones. We have to date allocated £6m of ISCF grant funding to projects in the East Midlands and already support a wider range of projects in the East Midlands. For example, we support a robotics project based with the University of Nottingham, in partnership with businesses based at the National Space Centre in Leicester, which is dedicated to investigating the potential of manufacturing in space; which could enable the in-orbit manufacture of replacement parts and tools. Also, since its launch in 2012, the Start-Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank, has delivered more than 59,000 loans, totalling over £450m. 65 Start-Up Loans have been provided to the Mansfield constituency with a total value of £488,200. Another example of our help to local businesses to create more highly skilled jobs in East Midlands, is through the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). They are developing Local Industrial Strategies setting out how they will support the growth in their local economies.Through the Midlands Engine Strategy, we are investing in skills, industries, and infrastructure to boost productivity and create highly skilled jobs. One such instrument is the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, which provides over £250 million to support small businesses to grow. Examples of investments made by LEPs across the East Midlands that are designed to support businesses to create more highly skilled jobs include: D2N2 LEP’s £5 million Local Growth Fund investment in the recently opened University of Nottingham’s Advanced Manufacturing Building shows the Industrial Strategy in action. The state-of-the-art facility will benefit the East Midlands and the whole UK economy by driving innovation, supporting manufacturing businesses of all sizes to thrive and crucially equipping people to secure highly skilled jobs.A collaboration between the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Derby City Council and the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership has seen the recent opening of a research and innovation centre for cutting-edge nuclear technology on the Infinity Park Enterprise Zone; helping to boost local jobs, growth and expertise.The Boole Technology Centre on the Lincoln Science and Technology Park has been supported by £3.4m Local Growth Fund; providing laboratory, workshop and office space targeting high-growth SMEs in advanced engineering and manufacturing.The Mira Technical Institute based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, has been supported by £9.5m of Local Growth Fund. Based on MIRA Technology park, MTI will enable delivery of specialist skills and qualifications to industry leaders, engineers, technicians and other professionals across the automotive sector, that are key to fuelling their career ambitions and their employer’s business success.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect on the financial sustainability of post offices of the rates banks pay post offices for transactions.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. The remuneration banks pay to postmasters when dealing with transactions is an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) banks and (c) the Post Office on increasing the rates that banks pay the Post Office to process transactions.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. The matter such as the above is an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House

Gratuities

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2018 to Question 178527 on Gratuities, when the Government plans to publish a response to the consultation on tips, gratuities, cover and service charges which closed on 27 June 2016.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 12 February 2019, Official Report, column 724, on Small Businesses, for what reason he is not bringing forward legislative proposals on tipping, gratuities and service charges until the next Session.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 21 February 2019



The Government has announced its intention to legislate to ensure that all tips left to workers are kept by them in full. In some sectors, tips are a significant part of staff income. It is only right that workers keep the full value of tips left in recognition of good service and hard work.This commitment was published as part of the Government’s Good Work Plan, which represents the largest upgrade to workplace rights in a generation. Full details of legislation on tips and a response to the 2016 consultation on tips, gratuities, cover and service charges will be published in due course.

Agency Workers: Equal Pay

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his oral contribution of 17 December 2018, Official Report,column 573, when the the repeal of the Swedish Derogation will be implemented.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 21 February 2019



The Government is committed to upholding and extending workers’ rights. We laid the statutory instrument to repeal the Swedish derogation on 17 December 2018 and, subject to parliamentary approval, it will come into force from 6 April 2020.

Construction: Licensing

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to consumer protection of introducing a licensing scheme for UK construction companies and sole traders.

Richard Harrington: The Department has regular discussions with the construction industry about how best to achieve the potential benefits of a licensing scheme without the practical drawbacks, as well as other issues that will help improve the standard of work undertaken by firms and sole traders in the sector. The Government has endorsed the TrustMark Scheme which aims to marginalise unscrupulous traders operating in the home building and repair market ; and to identify local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice. The Government believes this scheme gives consumers increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses including builders who adhere to and maintain high standards.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has taken steps to ensure that the new Smart Export Guarantee scheme will be in place before the Feed-in Tariffs scheme ends.

Claire Perry: The Feed-in Tariffs scheme will close to new applicants, subject to certain time limited grace periods and extensions, on 31 March 2019. On 8 January, the Government published a consultation on the future for small-scale low-carbon generation, providing visibility of the proposals for a Smart Export Guarantee. This consultation will close on 5 March; responses will be analysed to inform future policy development, and government will respond in due course.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on how any surplus taken by the Government from the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme since 2010 has been used by his Department.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how any surplus taken by the Government from the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme since 2010 has been spent.

Claire Perry: Surplus payments from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme are paid into the Exchequer, which forms part of wider Government expenditure. The Government guarantee has enabled an investment strategy that has resulted in scheme members receiving payments 33% higher than they would have been if they received only their actual earned pension up to privatisation.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Competition

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many abuses of a dominant market position by the three multinational firms that comprise 90 per cent of the UK domestic off grid LPG market have been investigated; and what the outcome was of those investigations.

Kelly Tolhurst: Investigations of a potential abuse of a dominant market position are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). These are undertaken independently of Ministers. The CMA does not comment on potential investigations. According to the CMA’s public records, it has not opened an abuse of dominance case in this sector.

Energy: Prices

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the cap on energy bills from 1 January 2019 was revised upwards; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the new cap will not change at six weekly intervals.

Claire Perry: The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act states that Ofgem, the independent regulator, must update the level of the cap at least every 6 months. Ofgem have scheduled 6 monthly revisions each April and October. Ofgem is responsible for adjusting the cap level to reflect changes to the estimated costs of supplying electricity and gas to homes for the following 6 months.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has for a future review of the decision to end the export tariff for rooftop solar installations.

Claire Perry: The Feed-in Tariffs scheme will close to new applicants, subject to certain time limited grace periods and extensions, on 31 March 2019. On 8 January, Government published a consultation on the future for small-scale low-carbon generation, providing visibility of the proposals for a Smart Export Guarantee. This consultation will close on 5 March; responses will be analysed to inform future policy development, and government will respond in due course.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations his Department has received from (a) members of the public and (b) civil society groups on the decision to end the export tariff for solar installations.

Claire Perry: We received 345 responses to the consultation on the proposed closure of the Feed-in Tariffs scheme held last year. Of these, 169 were from members of the public and 43 were from civil society groups. Since the Government response was published on 18 December 2018, confirming closure of the scheme, we have received further representations on the issue from over 60 members of the public via their MP (46 in response to a civil society group campaign) and three civil society groups.

Vauxhall Motors

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216983 on Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries, whether Vauxhall has (a) applied successfully, (b) applied unsuccessfully and (c) not applied for support through those programmes conducted independently of the Government.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 25 February 2019



As noted in my response of 11 February to Question 216983 on the motor vehicle manufacturing industry, the Government has continued to support the automotive sector via a number of routes including the Regional Growth Fund which supports individual investment projects. I can confirm that Vauxhall has made two applications to the Regional Growth Fund, both of which were successful.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the guidance entitled Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not meeting the criteria in that document in each year since 2014.

Richard Harrington: BEIS has not excluded any suppliers from bidding for contracts as a result of not meeting the criteria in Procurement Policy Note 03/14.

Migrant Workers: EU Law

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to undertake a consultation on the transposition of the Posting of Workers Directive (96/71/EC) into domestic law.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Antarctic: Marine Protected Areas

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he will take to advance proposals to create an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary in the Weddell Sea, following the failure to reach an agreement on such proposals at the meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in autumn 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK remains engaged with a range of developments to help secure early adoption of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Weddell Sea. British scientists are participating in scientific expeditions to the Weddell Sea during this Antarctic season, and in a series of international scientific workshops and meetings, to further develop the scientific case for the MPA proposal. The UK is also continuing to engage with counterparts from other Member States in the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to find a way to move forward on this, and other outstanding, MPA proposals.

Hajer Mansoor Hassan

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if will make representations to his counterpart in Bahrain on the failure of prison authorities in Isa Town Prison and local oversight bodies to facilitate a mammogram for political prisoner Hajer Mansoor Hassan who is being denied access to medical care for a lump in her breast.

Alistair Burt: The British Embassy and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to follow the case of Ms Mansoor and have raised the issue of access to medical care with the Government of Bahrain at a senior level.The Government of Bahrain have given categorical assurances that Ms Mansoor has had a mammogram and is awaiting the results, and will continue to receive access to appropriate medical care, as guaranteed by the constitution of Bahrain.We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report them to the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body. We continue to encourage these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such concerns or allegations.​

Sheikh Ali Salman

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question HL13338 on Sheikh Ali Salman, whether the Minister for the Middle East called for the release of Bahraini opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman during his meeting with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to London on 5 November 2018.

Alistair Burt: The Honourable Lady will have seen my statement of 4 November where I expressed my concerns on the further sentencing of Sheikh Ali Salman. On 5 November I discussed these concerns with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the UK and again with the Bahrain Minister of Foreign Affairs on 20 February 2019. We will continue to closely monitor the case. The UK has raised this case at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain.

Yemen: Prisoners

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any progress has been made on facilitating prisoner exchanges between the respective parties in the Yemen conflict.

Alistair Burt: The UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, informed the UN Security Council on 19 February that progress has been made towards releasing the first batch of prisoners and we welcome this. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have also already released small numbers of prisoners as signs of goodwill while discussions continue on a broader exchange of prisoners. We welcome these steps – a key confidence building measure – and have seconded a UK expert to the UN to support the UN’s work to facilitate the prisoner exchange agreement.

Yemen: Baha'i Faith

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department has taken to secure the release of prisoners held by Houthi authorities in Sana’a in Yemen that are members of the Baha’i community reportedly imprisoned on grounds of their faith.

Alistair Burt: We continue to follow the treatment of the Baha’is in Yemen closely, including through meeting representatives of the Baha'i in the UK and lobbying the relevant authorities. We continue to call on the parties to the conflict for the human rights of all Yemenis to be respected and the UK Ambassador last raised this directly with the Houthi Spokesperson on 5 February.

Ukraine: Overseas Aid

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what financial assistance the Government plans to allocate to Ukraine in each of the next three years.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is a major donor to Ukraine. In 2019/20 the British Government will provide more than £35 million in support for Ukraine, which includes assistance to combat corruption and support reform as well as vital humanitarian support and peacebuilding activities. The allocations are made on an annual funding cycle.

Gaza: Israel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the protection of health professionals from violence perpetrated by Israeli security forces during the Great March of Return protests on the Gaza strip; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​We are concerned by the volume of live ammunition that Israel has used in Gaza and have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities urging restraint, and stressing the particular importance of protecting those delivering medical services. We continue to support independent and transparent investigations into any such incidents.

Turkey: Elections

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has plans to support the imposition of independent electoral observers in the upcoming Turkish Parliamentary elections.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​We have urged Turkey to invite election monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe to observe the upcoming local elections, and to act upon the recommendations made by those bodies following the Presidential elections in June 2018.

Turkey: Elections

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential for (a) electoral fraud and (b) the violation of opposition parties by the authorities in Turkey during the upcoming parliamentary elections in that country; and if he will discuss those electoral issues with his counterpart in Turkey.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​We have urged Turkey to act upon the recommendations made by Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe following the Presidential elections in June 2018, so that this can be applied to the forthcoming local elections. We have consistently encouraged the Turkish authorities to ensure that the electoral process is conducted fairly, professionally and transparently. It is important for Turkish democracy that the local elections accurately reflect the wishes of the Turkish people.

China: Ethnic Groups

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China.

Mark Field: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang Province and the Chinese government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over 1 million Uighur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.Ministers and senior officials have been raising our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities for some time, and will continue to do so. I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November 2018, the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uighurs. We issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to not only implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Xinjiang, but also to allow the UN to monitor the implementation.Following the Universal Periodic Review, the Minister for the Commonwealth and UN issued a statement where he said: “I am very concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the re-education camps and the widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities, particularly the Uighurs. The UK and many of our international partners have made clear during China’s UPR that this is a priority issue. We recommended that China should implement CERD recommendations in Xinjiang and allow the UN to monitor implementation.”

Department of Health and Social Care

Kidneys

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people aged between 10 and 20 have had operations for kidney-stones in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: Data is not available in the format requested. A count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of kidney stones and a main procedure for kidney stones, where the patient age was between 10 and 20 years (inclusive), for the years 2013-14 to 2017-18, is attached. The data should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted to hospital on one or more occasion.



PQ223055 attached table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 23.81 KB)

Cannabis: Mental Health

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of links between cannabis use and mental health problems.

Steve Brine: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the links between cannabis use and mental health problems but is aware that there is evidence that people who use cannabis have an increased risk of psychosis, linked to an increase in the concentration of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) appearing in cannabis available in many countries. In 2017, Public Health England published guidance, ‘Better care for people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol/drug use conditions’ to inform the commissioning and provision of effective care for people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol/drug use conditions. It also has relevance for all other services that have contact with people with co-occurring conditions, including people experiencing mental health crisis.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent patients from being incorrectly denied access to medicinal cannabis.

Steve Brine: The decision to prescribe a cannabis-based product for medicinal use is one for individual clinicians to make, as part of a multidisciplinary team and in partnership with patients and their families. It would be inappropriate to second-guess the prescribing decisions of clinicians, who will be experts in their area and bear responsibility for prescribing.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of veterans who have served in the armed forces that were in receipt of mental health services in 2018.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The attached table shows counts of referrals received, entering treatment and finishing a course of treatment of patients who recorded as being an ex-British Armed Forces member for Quarter 4 2017/18, Quarter 1 2018/19 and Quarter 2 2018/9, England level from the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) dataset. The number of Ex-British Armed Forces veterans in contact with mental health services and the number of Ex-British Armed Forces veterans in hospital at the end of November 2018 from the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS) is also attached. The IAPT dataset has collected information on veterans accessing this service since 2012. IAPT is run by the National Health Service in England and offers National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved therapies for treating people with anxiety and depression. The IAPT dataset records whether a referral is for a patient who has been a member of the British Armed Forces. It is not possible to identify the type of Armed Forces Service that the patient belonged to, or whether the patient was a regular or reserve veteran.



PQ223166 attached document
(Word Document, 20.81 KB)

Dementia

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report of the Alzheimer's Society entitled Dementia – the true cost: Fixing the care crisis, published in May 2018, whether the Government plans to (a) cover the extra health charges that dementia patients accrue as a result of their condition and (b) ensure that everyone with dementia has a care navigator to support access to timely, preventative and integrated support.

Caroline Dinenage: The Green Paper on adult social care will bring forward proposals to ensure that all adults, including those living with dementia, receive high quality care whenever they need it. It will also bring forward ideas for including an element of risk pooling in the system, which will help to protect people from the highest costs. We remain committed to delivering the Challenge on Dementia 2020 in full to make England the best country in the world for dementia care by 2020. The March 2016 implementation plan details how the commitments in the Challenge, across four core themes of risk reduction, health and care, awareness and social action, and research will be met. The Implementation Plan envisages general practitioners (GPs) playing a leading role in ensuring coordination and continuity of care for people with dementia. We have recently undertaken a review of our implementation plan to reflect on what has been achieved so far and what more we need to do to achieve our goals by 2020. As a result of that we will be reviewing the role of GPs and whether they remain the staff group best placed to lead on care coordination in all cases. In addition, the NHS Long Term Plan commits to better support for people with dementia in the community and ongoing close work with the voluntary sector, for example supporting Alzheimer’s Society’s dementia connect programme.

EU Rapid Alert Systems for Food and Feed

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to promote continued cooperation with the EU in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed and similar mechanisms after the UK leaves the EU.

Steve Brine: The Government continues to negotiate full access to the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed network as it will be mutually beneficial for the European Union and United Kingdom to continue this vital data-sharing on food safety. The UK is an active contributor to EU incidents systems such as the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, regularly providing essential updates to Member States and the EU Commission. The UK is also a close neighbour and significant exporter to the EU food market. It is important for the EU, as well as for the UK, that this relationship continues without compromising confidence in food safety.

Alcoholic Drinks: Health Education

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of 17 January 2019, Official Report, column 1431, on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, what progress the alcohol industry is making on meeting the Government's September 2019 deadline on alcohol labelling to (a) include the latest low-risk drinking guidelines and (b) remove the old drinking guidelines.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of 17 January 2019, Official Report, column 1431, on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, what steps the Government plans to take after September 2019 in the event that the alcohol industry does not update alcohol labelling to (a) reflect the low-risk drinking guidelines and (b) remove the old drinking guidelines; and if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals relating to such labelling in the event that the alcohol industry fails to meet those requirements by that deadline.

Steve Brine: In March 2017, the Department issued guidance to the public and industry setting out how the UK Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) low risk drinking guidelines can best be communicated on the labels of alcoholic drinks to the public. The Department agreed a transitional period with industry until 1 September 2019 to reflect the new guidelines. The Food Standards Agency issued a note on the 7 September 2017 to Heads of Environmental Health Service and Directors of Trading Standards Services that no action is taken before the 1 September 2019 against manufacturers or retailers who continue to provide previous CMO advice as voluntary information on pre-packaged alcoholic beverages. The note is available at the following link: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20171207200436/https:/www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/enf-e-17-055.pdf Increasingly alcohol labels are reflecting the new guidelines. Officials have recently written to the alcohol industry trade bodies to remind them of the 1 September 2019 deadline. There are no current plans to introduce legislation to mandate the guidelines.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government's commitment to double the number of places available for men on the PrEP Impact Trial will be rolled out at the Whitegate Health Centre in Blackpool.

Steve Brine: The HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact trial that began in October 2017 was funded by NHS England to recruit 10,000 participants over a three-year study period. In 2018, the allocation of places was increased to 13,000 to take account of a surge in people taking part. On 30 January, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that the PrEP Impact trial would be expanded to 26,000 places. Work is underway with partners to take this forward. The PrEP Oversight Board has requested information on local capacity to make the additional places available and will review this shortly. After assessing their capacity to utilise any extra places, investigators in each site, including those in Blackpool, can request additional trial places.

Mental Health Services: South East

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health patients in the South East.

Jackie Doyle-Price: National waiting time standards for Early Intervention in Psychosis, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies and Children and Young People Eating Disorder Services are already being met or are on track to be met by 2020/21 for the south east. Under the NHS Long Term Plan, there will be a comprehensive expansion of mental health services, with an additional £2.3 billion per year in real terms by 2023/24. NHS England will be testing four week waiting times for children and young people’s, adults’ and older adults’ community mental health teams, with selected local areas. Clear standards will then be set for patients requiring access to community mental health treatment and rolled out across the National Health Service over the next decade. This will include new waiting times for children and young people, adults and those experiencing a mental health crisis. Specific waiting times targets for emergency mental health services will also take effect from 2020 for the first time. More detail will be available in the spring, when NHS England publishes further plans for implementation. As part of implementing the proposals set out in the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Green Paper, a total of 25 trailblazer areas have been selected for Wave 1 and 12 of these areas will pilot a four week wait time standard for children and young people, including Buckinghamshire Clinical Commission Group and Oxfordshire Clinical Commission Group.

Medicine: Research

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to healthcare research in the north of England since 2015.

Caroline Dinenage: The following table shows Departmental funding of health research spend by region.Region2015-162016-172017-18East Midlands53,308,64349,940,00550,964,257North East45,754,40146,962,33345,999,446North West81,678,55180,166,88384,646,518West Midlands74,657,31174,859,78673,743,832Yorkshire and Humber84,010,12580,612,31779,604,621Grand Total339,409,031332,541,324334,958,674Note: Official Development Assistance funding paid to domestic organisations are included within regional figures The main public funder of healthcare research in the United Kingdom is the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which is funded by the Department. The figures provided show gross NIHR funding to organisations located in regions in Northern England. The NIHR is not the only public funder of health research. There are other funders, predominantly Medical Research Councils, where the Department does not hold information about the geographical distribution of health research funding. In addition, the figures also exclude national spend that cannot be identified geographically.

Health Services: Equality

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to use the NHS Long Term Plan to close the gap in health inequalities between the north and south of England; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The NHS Long Term Plan sets out a number of commitments for reducing health inequalities and that NHS England will continue to target a higher share of funding towards geographies with high health inequalities. The National Implementation Framework, to be published in the spring, will provide further information on how the Long Term Plan will be implemented. Additional details, based on local health system five-year plans, will be brought together in a detailed national implementation plan in the autumn. Work will continue with key partners and stakeholders as we support the National Health Service to deliver the commitments set out in the Long Term Plan.

Health Services: Equality

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the new NHS funding settlement will be spent to takcle health inequalities between the north and south of England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England sets clinical commissioning group funding allocations. NHS England has committed to ensuring a higher share of funding goes towards geographies with high health inequalities. This funding is estimated to be worth over £1 billion by 2023/24. The NHS Long Term Plan sets out a number of commitments for reducing health inequalities and NHS England will continue to target a higher share of funding towards geographies with high health inequalities. The National Implementation Framework, to be published in the spring, will provide further information on how the Long Term Plan will be implemented. Additional details, based on local health system five-year plans, will be brought together in a detailed national implementation plan in the autumn. Work will continue with key partners and stakeholders as we support the National Health Service to deliver the commitments set out in the Long Term Plan.

Liver Diseases: Transplant Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS news story entitled Machine that keeps livers 'alive' may boost transplant rates, published in April 2018, whether the NHS has any plans to commission further research on such liver storage facilities.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a report in January on machine perfusion, which are machines that provide organs with blood, nutrients, and medicines outside the body. NICE said that these machines are safe to use, but that evidence on their efficacy is limited and should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance. Normothermic machine perfusion is currently being used for livers in one hospital in the United Kingdom on a trial basis. This technology is still considered novel and experimental. NHS Blood and Transplant, as the organ donation organisation for the United Kingdom, is supporting National Health Service hospitals’ research into perfusion technology and how it can enable more organs to be used for transplantation. NHS Blood and Transplant’s Research, Innovative and Novel Technologies Advisory Group oversees the use and progress of novel technologies for transplantation and will monitor the effectiveness of the use of these machines in the UK. When there is more evidence, it will make a recommendation on whether they should be commissioned.

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many tests for sexually transmitted infections have been paid for by the public purse in each year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of tests for sexually transmitted infections administered over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Local authorities pay for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. In England, the total number of STI tests, paid for by local authorities from 2013 to 2017 is given in the following table. Further information is available in Public Health England ’s annual STI data tables at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables Total number of STI tests, paid for by local authorities from 2013 to 2017:Years20132014201520162017Total tests7,373,7617,604,0007,778,2647,808,9027,772,537 Notes:The services provided include STI testing which include tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV. The STI tests were expanded in 2015 to include tests (for herpes simplex virus, hepatitis A/B/C) that were not previously reported via GUMCAD. Therefore, data from 2015 for these STI tests are not directly comparable to data from previous years.Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received in the last 12 months on the closure of physical clinics providing testing for sexually transmitted infections; what plans he has to encourage the use of online and postal testing services for sexually-transmitted infections; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: We have identified one item of correspondence received since 1 February 2018 about the closure of physical clinics providing testing for sexually-transmitted infections. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only. The Government has mandated local authorities to commission comprehensive open access sexual health services, including sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment. Local authorities are utilising technology, such as online and postal testing services for sexually-transmitted infections, to manage lower risk and asymptomatic patients. As these services develop, they also have the potential to reach groups not currently engaged with clinic services. The expansion of digital services increases patient choice and service accessibility but local authorities must still meet their open access mandate and ensure that appropriate walk-in and appointment only physical services are still available to anyone wishing to use them.

Department of Health and Social Care: Procurement

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings Ministers of his Department have had with multinational healthcare corporations since June 2016, and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website. The latest publications up to September 2018 are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

Department of Health and Social Care: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not meeting the criteria in that document in each year since 2014.

Caroline Dinenage: Procurement rules require the Department to exclude any supplier for non-payment of taxes if the breach is established by a court ruling. Information is not collated centrally on companies excluded from bidding for the Department as a result of prosecutions or convictions in relation to the payment of taxes. Officials are not aware of any such cases. Cabinet Office’s Procurement Policy Note 03/14, published in 2014, set out questions that central government departments should use for the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) phase of procurement exercises likely to be £5 million or more in value. These are used to gather information on and make assessments of prospective bidders' suitability, before considering tenders; Note 03/14 introduced questions to gather information about companies' track records including declarations around payment of taxes. These questions now form part of the Standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ), the successor to the PQQ, introduced by the Cabinet Office and Crown Commercial Service in 2017 under Procurement Policy Note 8/16.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Slavery

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department's publication entitled DFID Strategic Vision for Gender Equality, published in March 2018, what steps her Department is taking to integrate its work on modern slavery and on women and girls.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID’s Strategic Vision for Gender Equality commits DFID to step up its work on gender equality across the board, recognising that progress on gender equality is instrumental to achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals. Tackling modern slavery is a cross-government priority. We know that women and girls are disproportionately affected by certain forms of modern slavery – for example sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. That is why DFID is leading the effort to drive change and end the exploitation of women and girls. As an example of what we have already achieved, we have reached over 380,000 vulnerable women and girls through our flagship £10 million Work in Freedom Programme. This aims to reduce the risk of slavery amongst migrant women workers across South East Asia by educating and training women in their communities and working with businesses and recruiters. Last year we announced that we would extend this programme through a further £13 million investment.

Developing Countries: Slavery

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the particular effect of modern slavery on adolescent girls; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: DFID is at the forefront of the UK’s international efforts to end violence against, and abuse and exploitation of adolescent girls. Adolescence is a critical time when a person’s experiences, and the decisions taken by them and for them, affect the rest of their lives. In supporting and protecting adolescent girls, we are empowering the decision makers, peacebuilders and business leaders of the future. The UK is taking action to end modern slavery in all its forms in line with Sustainable Development Goals 16.2, 8.7 and 5.2. We are leading efforts to increase support for, and implementation of, the Prime Minister’s “Call to Action to end Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking” launched in 2017 and now endorsed by over 80 countries. We continue to work with communities, governments, civil society and the private sector to push for action at all levels to protect the most vulnerable, including adolescent girls. Since 2017 we have more than doubled UK aid spending to tackle modern slavery – committing just over £200 million to date. DFID funded programmes make up the bulk of this aid and includes work to reduce vulnerability to exploitation and address the permissive environments which allow exploitation to exist and thrive.

UN Road Safety Trust Fund

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the UK (a) provides and (b) plans to provide funding to the United Nations Road Safety Trust Fund.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not provide funding to the United Nations Road Safety Fund. The Fund was launched in April 2018 and we will be monitoring performance and management through the early stages of its establishment. DFID is not currently planning on providing funds directly to the United Nations Road Safety Fund.

Department for Education

Schools: Crimes of Violence

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to reduce the level of attacks on teachers by pupils in schools.

Nick Gibb: All schools should be safe and disciplined environments within which pupils feel happy and able to fulfil their potential. This Government is committed to ensuring that all teachers are equipped with the skills to tackle both the serious behavioural issues that compromise the safety and wellbeing of pupils and school staff, as well as the low level disruption that too often gets in the way of teaching.Any form of violence in school is completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated. The workplace should not be a setting where people, including teachers and pupils, are subject to threats of, or actual violence, harassment or bullying. The Health and Safety Executive has provided advice for schools to use to put in place strategies to prevent or minimise workplace harassment and violence. Schools’ behaviour policies should set out how poor behaviour, including incidents of violence, are dealt with.If there is a violent attack on a teacher or any person on school premises, the Department expects schools to take immediate and robust action. This should include ongoing support for the person concerned and a review of the incident to establish what lessons can be learned. Any decision on how to sanction a pupil is a matter for the school. Where the incident constitutes a criminal offence, the school should report it to the police.To further support schools, the Department provides head teachers, teachers and governing boards with a range of information to help them develop policies to manage disruptive and poor behaviour within the classroom in order to help reduce the likelihood of violent attacks on teachers and pupils.The Department has also given teachers a range of powers to promote good behaviour. The Department’s advice on behaviour has also been updated to outline a range of sanctions that it is permissible for teachers to use.The Department is investing £10 million to create behaviour hubs in England to facilitate the sharing of best practice in classroom and behaviour management.

Schools: Bullying

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle bullying in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government has sent a clear message to schools that bullying is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their environment and are held to account by Ofsted. The Department issues guidance to schools on how to prevent and respond to bullying as part of their overall behaviour policy. The guidance outlines the Government’s approach to bullying; the legal obligations and powers schools have to tackle bullying; and the principles which underpin the most effective anti-bullying strategies in schools. In our drive to tackle bad behaviour, we have strengthened teachers' powers to enforce discipline and promote good behaviour. Additionally, the Respectful School Communities tool supports schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. The Department is also providing over £2.8 million of funding between September 2016 and March 2020, to four anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This is in addition to £4 millon that the Government Equalities Office are providing, over the same period, to help schools prevent and respond to Homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic bullying. The new mandatory subjects of Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health Education, will enable schools to deliver high-quality teaching including about acceptable ways to behave, both off and online. The draft guidance sets out that pupils should know about the different types of bullying, the impact it has, the responsibility of bystanders and how to get help. The consultation closed on 7 November 2018 and we are currently analysing the responses, which will help to finalise the regulations and guidance.

Teachers: Stress

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has a policy to help tackle stress experienced by teachers.

Nick Gibb: The Government is clear that there are no great schools without great teachers.In January 2019, the Department launched the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy. This includes commitments to radically simplify the accountability system, limit the amount of change that schools have to deliver, and provide extra support to tackle challenging pupil behaviour. The Department is also introducing an Early Career Framework for teachers, which includes mentor support so that newly qualified teachers receive the support they need. The strategy can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy.The strategy sets out the areas where Government can make the most difference as quickly as possible. It also marks the beginning of a conversation with headteachers about how the Department can support them to set a culture in their school that reduces unnecessary planning, marking and data requirements; supports teachers to deal with disruptive behaviour; and establishes a culture that values continued professional development and flexible working at all career stages.The Department continues to work with unions, teachers and Ofsted to challenge and remove unnecessary workload and a joint letter from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, and other key national organisations was sent to school leaders in January confirming their support to help reduce workload in schools.The Department has accepted all the recommendations of the ‘Making Data Work’ report and published a workload reduction toolkit as part of an ongoing programme to tackle excessive workload in schools. The report and Government response can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-workload-advisory-group-report-and-government-response.

Overseas Students: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students who are granted European Temporary Leave to Remain would be eligible to access Government funding for under-18 education.

Anne Milton: European Temporary Leave to Remain will allow European Economic Area citizens arriving in the UK after 29 March 2019 to live, work and study in the UK if the UK leaves the EU without a deal and this includes government funding for pre-16 and 16-19 education and training.

Ministry of Justice

Divorce

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for a divorce were lodged between Christmas 2018 and New Year 2019.

Lucy Frazer: The National Statistics publication ‘Family Court Statistics Quarterly: October to December 2018’ which includes the number of divorce petitions will be published on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly . The latest figures available cover the period up to September 2018 and are found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to employ more staff and reduce the length of time personal independence payment claimants have to wait for their appeal to be heard.

Lucy Frazer: The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS), administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), administers appeals from appellants living in England, Scotland, and Wales. The Northern Ireland Courts & Tribunals Service administers appeals for appellants living in Northern Ireland. The provision of staff does not increase capacity in the tribunal, the critical factor is the recruitment and availability of judicial office holders. Consequently, HMCTS has been working with the tribunal’s judiciary both to appoint additional judges and panel members and to list more Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals into each Tribunal session. Additional fee-paid judicial office holders have been recruited: 250 judges across the First-tier Tribunal, 125 disability qualified members and up to 230 medical members. In addition, more PIP appeals are being listed per session and case-management “triage” sessions have been introduced, with the aim of reducing the time taken for appeals to reach final determination. All these measures will increase the capacity of the tribunal, with the aim of reducing waiting times for appellants. HMCTS is also developing a new digital system with a view to enabling speedier processing of appeals and a better service for all parties to the proceedings. Information on the new digital service can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-online-service-launched-for-pip-appeals. Finally, HMCTS is working with the Department for Work and Pensions to understand what could be done to reduce the number of appeals being submitted to the tribunal, through their focus on improving decision-making and the mandatory reconsideration process. Latest figures (to September 2018) indicate that since PIP was introduced, 3.7 million decisions have been made, and of these 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned at tribunals.

Legal Aid Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which members of the (a) legal profession and (b) judiciary were consulted as part of the Government's most recent review of the (i) civil and (ii) criminal legal aid means test thresholds.

Lucy Frazer: The Government most recently considered the civil and criminal legal aid thresholds in March 2016. There was no formal consultation with members of the legal profession or the judiciary as part of that review. As part of the publication of the Legal Support Action Plan on 7 February 2019, the Government announced a review of the legal aid means testing thresholds and their interaction with the wider eligibility criteria. For the review, we will bring together data, evidence and expertise from across government as well as from wider stakeholders to ensure that the process is as thorough and consistent as possible. Following our review we will bring forward any changes as soon as is practical.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the responses received during the Judicial Ways of Working exercise will be (a) shared with the judges consulted and (b) published.

Lucy Frazer: The Judicial Ways of Working exercise was a judicially led process. Jurisdictionally-themed overviews of the issues raised were released to the judiciary by Heads of Division in December 2018 and published on the judicial website in January 2019 (https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/jurisdictional-responses-to-the-judicial-ways-of-working-exercise).

Ministry of Justice: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not meeting the criteria in that document in each year since 2014.

Edward Argar: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost

Treasury

Film: Finance

Giles Watling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to support domestic film production companies to raise funding.

Mel Stride: The UK film industry is a great success story, contributing an estimated £4 billion a year to the economy and supporting nearly 70,000 jobs. Last year the government provided £469 million worth of support through the film tax relief and almost £70 million in grant in aid and national lottery funding through the British Film Institute. The film tax relief supports the production of culturally British films. 2,420 films have benefitted from the film tax relief since it was introduced in 2007. The British Film Institute supports UK film production companies through the BFI Film Fund, investing in the production of films from adventurous storytellers, the BFI Locked Box initiative, enabling production companies to benefit from the success of their films, and the BFI Vision Awards, supporting new film producers to build their companies.

Productivity

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of productivity growth in the last five years can be attributed to financial technology.

Robert Jenrick: The government has not made an assessment of the proportion of productivity growth in the last five years that is attributable to financial technology. However, the Government has taken significant steps to increase competition in financial services, including creating an environment in which Fintech firms can grow and compete with incumbents. The Competition and Market Authority has led the Open Banking initiative, bringing more competition and innovation to financial services. The FCA has also established the Innovation Hub and Regulatory Sandbox to support Fintech, both of which are held up as global examples of best practice. Further information on the Government’s efforts to promote FinTech can be found in the FinTech Sector Strategy, published in March 2018.

Employment

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the employment rate in the UK.

John Glen: The employment rate is currently at a record high of 75.8%. There are currently a record 32.5 million people in work. Over the last year, employment growth has been driven almost entirely by high skilled jobs and full-time workers. Since the 2010 election we’ve seen over 3.5 million more people in employment – equivalent to an average of over 1,000 extra people in work every single day. This is alongside an unemployment rate which has not been lower since 1975, wages growing at the fastest pace in over a decade, and 9 consecutive months of real wage growth.

Productivity: North of England

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Office for National Statistics publication, Labour productivity, UK: July to September 2018, published on 9 January 2019 whether the next Spending Review will allocate funding to tackle the effect of poor health outcomes in the North of England on that region’s levels of productivity.

Elizabeth Truss: The ONS published the latest estimates of sub-national productivity on 6 February 2019. The data shows that productivity has increased in all the regions in the North of England during 2017 and since 2010. All regions in the North of England have seen faster nominal productivity growth than London and the South of England since 2010. The NHS is the government’s number one spending priority and that is why we have committed to a historic settlement that provides a cash increase of £33.9bn a year by 2023-24. This takes the NHS budget from £114.6bn in 2018-19 to £148.5bn in 2023-24. The NHS Long Term Plan sets the vision for the NHS over the coming years including what action the NHS plans to take on health inequalities. NHS England has committed to ensuring a higher share of funding goes towards geographies with high health inequalities. This funding is estimated to be worth over £1 billion by 2023/24.

Public Expenditure

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he plans to use the next Spending Review to reduce economic inequalities between the north and south of England.

Elizabeth Truss: Since 2010, over 60% of jobs have been created outside of London and the South East, and all regions of the North of England have seen faster nominal productivity growth over that time period than London and the South East. The Government is continuing to support the Northern Powerhouse, for example, the £2.5bn Transforming Cities Fund as well as Devolution deals for Manchester, Liverpool and North of Tyne. We will continue to support this growth through the Spending Review later this year and other policies such as a refreshed Northern Powerhouse Strategy.

Health: Research

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the next Spending Review will include plans to review the level of investment in health research received by northern institutions.

Elizabeth Truss: The Spending Review will consider all public investments in the round.Research funding, including Medical Research Council funding, is allocated following nation-wide competitive and academic peer review processes, where scientific excellence is the core assessment criteria. Since 2016, Government has committed an additional £7bn for R&D by 2021-22 – the largest increase for 40 years, which supports the government target of increasing economy-wide R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. To support innovation-led growth across the whole of the UK, Autumn Budget 2018 backed local initiatives to nurture R&D strengths by doubling the Strength in Places Fund to £235m.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of new build homes produced by (a) large house builders, (b) medium house builders and (c) small house builders and (d) micro house builders.

Kit Malthouse: The design quality of homes and places are determined by the revised National Planning Policy Framework and Building Regulations, to which all house builders have to adhere. It is for local planning authorities to assess the design quality of schemes submitted to them, on the basis of national and local policy, and regulation.   It is also vital that, as housing supply increases, the build quality of new build homes continues to improve. We know more needs to be done to strengthen consumer redress for purchasers of new build homes delivered by all sizes of developers, which is why on 1 October, we announced our intention for there to be a New Homes Ombudsman to protect the rights of homebuyers and hold developers to account. When Parliamentary time allows, we intend to introduce legislation to require developers of new build homes to belong to a New Homes Ombudsman, which will be underpinned in statute.

Housing: Construction

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to support SME diversification into the off-site manufacturing sector for the construction of new build homes.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he will take to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized house builders.

Kit Malthouse: The Government recognises that building more homes needs a modern home building industry, with greater capacity to deliver. We are therefore keen to see all house builders, including Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), embrace innovation and take advantage of new technologies to build good-quality homes more quickly and offer higher-energy efficiency to buyers.We continue to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized builders, to help them deliver more homes including through diversifying and using offsite construction methods to build new homes.We are providing financial support through the Home Building Fund which provides short term and long term loan finance to build the homes this country needs. At Autumn budget 2017, the successful Home Building Fund was increased by £1.5 billion to a total of £2.5 billion for investment in SMEs, custom builders and builders using modern methods of construction who cannot easily access finance. This funding will deliver at least 52,000 homes by 2022/23 and 94 per cent of contracted spend to date has been invested in SMEs.In addition, Government announced up to £1 billion guarantee scheme at Autumn budget 2018. This will be available to lenders to provide new finance to SMEs. The guarantee scheme will be launched in early 2019/20.

Planning: Fees and Charges

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the change in (a) speed of decision making and (b) overall performance of local authority planning departments since they were permitted to increase planning fees in January 2018.

Kit Malthouse: The Department is continuously monitoring the speed and quality of local planning authority decision making through our planning application statistics, which are updated on a quarterly basis. We are also working closely with the Local Government Association and the Royal Town Planning Institute to further understand local planning authority resourcing and performance following the introduction of the fee increase.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Members' Constituency Work

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the letter of 14 January 2019, case reference SG11604, on Iain Kinloch, was sent to the Department for Work and Pensions; and whether that letter was read by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence People and Veterans.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As the contents of the letter related predominantly to the issue of Employment and Support Allowance, which is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, the letter was transferred to that Department for answer. This is in line with normal Departmental practice. I have now written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the points raised.

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Yorkshire and the Humber

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding the Armed Forced Covenant fund has granted to (a) Barnsley and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Armed Forces Covenant was officially launched in 2011 and was initially supported by the Community Covenant Grant Scheme which ran for four years between 2011 and 2015. The table below details the value of funds awarded to Yorkshire and Humberside in this period. It is not possible to break down the information requested between Financial Years 2011-12 and 2012-13 or to establish whether the organisation receiving funding was in Barnsley without incurring disproportionate cost. Community Covenant Grant Scheme - Yorkshire and Humberside Financial YearValue of Grants Awarded2011-12 and 2012-13£1,616,8672013-14£624,4412014-15£ 64,026 From April 2015, the Covenant Grant Fund was launched, with an allocation of £10 million per year. Allocation of grants to Yorkshire and Humberside are detailed in the table below. It is not possible to establish whether the organisation receiving funding was in Barnsley without incurring disproportionate cost. Covenant Grant Fund - Yorkshire and Humberside Financial YearValue of Grants Awarded2015-16£99,1772016-17£1,015,6522017-18£827,7822018-19£127,092 In addition, the 2018 ‘Armistice and the Armed Forces Community’ programme made non-monetary awards to small community groups and charities to support their community Armistice commemorations. 135 of these grants were awarded in Yorkshire and Humberside, five of which were in Barnsley.

Department for Work and Pensions

Occupational Pensions

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2019 to Question 219503 on Occupational Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to assess the effect of the (a) 2018 and (b) 2019 increases in the minimum contribution rates.

Guy Opperman: As part of its 2017 Automatic Enrolment Review the Government committed to build on the success of Automatic Enrolment by continuing to monitor and evaluate the impact of increased contributions in 2018 and 2019, as the contributions rose to 5% and 8%. In April 2018, the first of two planned Automatic Enrolment minimum contribution increases took place, with total contributions increasing from 2% to 5%. Following the first contribution increase, the Government did a detailed evaluation in the 2018 Automatic Enrolment evaluation report (published December 2018), which provides early evidence suggesting that the first increase has gone smoothly with no significant change in savings behaviours. A link for the report can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf The Department is continuing to closely monitor and evaluate the impacts of the phased contribution increases throughout 2019 and will do a detailed evaluation of the 8% rise 2019/2020.

Occupational Pensions

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2019 to Question 219503 on Occupational Pensions, with which stakeholders her Department plans to consult on the evaluation of Automatic Enrolment.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to maintaining the consensus with employers, pension providers, payroll companies, consumer groups, Government departments, analytical teams and other delivery partners, which has been a hallmark of the success of Automatic Enrolment. We will continue to inform stakeholders about any future consultations, and evaluation or implementation plans.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of days was for her Department to reassess existing entitlement to personal independence payment in (a) Barnley, (b) south Yorkshire and (c) nationally in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the number of days was for her Department to reassess entitlement to personal independence payment from that payment being granted in (a) Barnley, (b) south Yorkshire and (c) nationally in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Certificates

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department provides on the issuing of fit notes by GP practices for welfare assessments.

Sarah Newton: The Department provides the following guidance to GPs on fit notes – “Getting the most out of the fit note” and “a short guide to the benefit system for general practitioners” both of which contain information on issuing fit notes to benefit claimants. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/465918/fit-note-gps-guidance.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-short-guide-to-the-benefit-system-for-general-practitioners

Accidents: Fees and Charges

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the combined total value was of sums sought from insurers by way of NHS recoupment by the Compensation Recovery Unit for the last two complete financial years under both the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 and the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.

Justin Tomlinson: The table below details the sums sought by DWP Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) in relation to settled compensation claims from insurers by way of NHS recoupment for the last two complete financial years under the specified Acts. Financial YearNHS Monies Sought2017/18£200,386,4252016/17£205,728,286

Work Capability Assessment: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for a claimant to be referred to a work capability assessment by the Romford service centre in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants have repaid benefit overpayments at 40 per cent from their standard allowance in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Alok Sharma: When recovering a benefit overpayment, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has different deduction rates that are applied in different circumstances. The highest rate of 40% of the standard allowance is only applicable where a debt has been classified as fraud. Our current internal data shows that there are around 8,500 Universal Credit claimants with an overpayment classified as fraud. Other factors, such as higher priority deductions, may mean that DWP is unable to deduct at 40% for the recovery of a benefit overpayment.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts due to not meeting the criteria in her Department's Procurement Policy Note 03/14 in each year since 2014.

Justin Tomlinson: From April 2018 to February 2019 DWP have not excluded any suppliers from bidding for contracts due to not meeting the criteria in PPN 03/14. To provide a response for 2014 to March 2018 would exceed the cost threshold limit set for central Government.

Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people identifying as having a primary condition of epilepsy have been awarded personal independence payment (a) after mandatory reconsideration of their initial assessment and (b) at a tribunal in Scotland in each year since 2013.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of (a) all new claimants of personal independence payment and (b) new claimants of that payment identifying as having a primary condition of epilepsy did not receive an award during their initial assessment but received an award at (i) mandatory reconsideration and (ii) tribunal in Scotland in each year since 2013.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is shown in the tables below.Table 1: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) new claims and reassessments for claimants with a primary disabling condition of Epilepsy - initial decisions, Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals, ScotlandOf which:Financial year of initial decisionInitial Decisions Initial decisions - disallowed due to failing the assessmentMR - new decision award changedAppeal – decision overturned2013/14160 50##2014/15940 51010602015/16910 660201202016/171,440 1,030302302017/181,480 96060250April to Sep 2018900 3403010Total Decisions5,830 3,550150670Table 2: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) new claims - initial decisions, Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals, ScotlandOf which:Financial year of initial decisionInitial Decisions Initial decisions - disallowed due to failing the assessmentMR - new decision award changedAppeal - decision overturned2013/1410,470 2,4901401602014/1555,740 13,1803601,1902015/1649,020 12,6803701,1802016/1752,820 13,5005101,1702017/1857,580 15,9105601,620April to Sep 201827,710 8,13015090Total Decisions253,340 65,8902,0905,410Table 3: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) new claims for claimants with a primary disabling condition of Epilepsy - initial decisions, Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals, ScotlandOf which:Financial year of initial decisionInitial Decisions Initial decisions - disallowed due to failing the assessmentMR - new decision award changedAppeal - decision overturned2013/14160 50##2014/15790 45010402015/16510 41010402016/17550 44010502017/18700 5003080April to Sep 2018400 2001010Total Decisions3,110 2,05070220Under PIP, 27 per cent of working age claimants with epilepsy recorded as their primary disabling condition receive the highest level of support compared to 6 per cent under Disability Living Allowance when PIP was introduced.NotesTables 2 and 3 are for PIP new claims only, whereas Table 1 is for both new claims and DLA reassessment claims.In the application process, claimants’ primary disabling condition is only recorded for collation by the Department at assessment. Therefore the initial decisions in Table 2 will include claims where the disability has not been recorded due to the assessment not being completed, and are therefore not comparable to the figures in Table 3.Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.The disability subgroup of Epilepsy in the PIP Computer System includes Cataplexy, Generalised seizures (with status epilepticus in last 12 months), Generalised seizures (without status epilepticus in last 12 months), Narcolepsy, Partial seizures (with status epilepticus in last 12 months), Partial seizures (without status epilepticus in last 12 months) and Seizures - unclassified.PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants.Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at Tribunal).Some decisions which are changed at MR, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal. Therefore the number of people who had a decision changed at MR and the number of people who had a decision changed at tribunal appeal cannot be added together.Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dangerous Dogs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dog attacks on humans there have been in each of the last five years.

David Rutley: Defra does not keep a record of the numbers of people bitten by dogs. Data for admission to hospital in England as a result of a dog bite is available online from NHS digital.

Poultry: Legionnaires' Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many outbreaks of legionnaires in turkeys there have been in the last five years.

David Rutley: Legionnaires’ disease is a water-borne infection that affects humans and Defra is not aware of any cases of Legionella bacteria affecting turkeys.

Non-native Species

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which species on the list of invasive alien species of Union concern are covered under UK Pathway Action Plans.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Pathway action plans (PAPs) are complete or in progress for angling, boating and zoos and aquaria sectors. There are also campaigns to reduce the spread of aquatic species generally (Check, Clean, Dry), and to reduce the risk of aquatic ornamental plants escaping into the wild (Be Plant Wise). These have been prioritised based on the threat posed to the UK by a much wider group of invasive non-native species than those listed as being of Union concern, including a group of freshwater species from the Ponto-Caspian region in south-east Europe which are not listed as they are native to part of the EU. Of the listed species, the angling and boating PAPs should help to reduce the risk of spread of a number of listed aquatic plants (e.g. curly waterweed and green cabomba) while the Be Plant Wise awareness raising campaign is aimed at reducing escapes of ornamental plants (e.g. water hyacinth, floating pennywort, Nuttall's waterweed, broadleaf watermilfoil, water lettuce, Salvinia moss) and the zoos and aquaria PAP aims to reduce the risk of zoo and aquaria escapes such as Pallas's squirrel, small Asian mongoose, coati, raccoon, fox squirrel, Siberian chipmunk, sacred ibis and raccoon dog.

BSE: Poland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Polish Government on the implications for the UK of the recent incidents of BSE in Poland.

George Eustice: We have not had any discussions with the Polish Government on this matter. The case of BSE confirmed in Poland on 4 February was atypical BSE, which can occur spontaneously in all cattle populations at a very low rate. Under the rules of the World Organisation for Animal Health, atypical BSE does not have any influence upon a country’s official BSE risk status.

Non-native Species

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report entitled, Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species on Great Britain, published by CABI in November 2010, what the cost to the public purse has been of Invasive Non-Native Species since 2010.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The responsibility for tackling invasive non-native species (INNS) and the associated costs of mitigating the damage they cause will impact on a number of departments and non-departmental public bodies. The Government does not hold collated information on the direct cost to the ‘public purse’. However, we are working towards furthering our understanding of the impact of invasive species, including their economic costs. Defra has recently commissioned a scoping study which will investigate whether it is possible to quantify a broader range of impacts of INNS on natural capital assets and the ecosystem services they provide. This will build on CABI’s Defra-funded study from 2010, which was a substantial and detailed assessment. The study clearly demonstrated that the costs of INNS to the British economy are considerable and widespread.

Non-native Species

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what dates (a) power of entry and (b) species control provisions have been used under Section 14(4A) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, as amended by Section 23 of the Infrastructure Act 2015.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the incidents that have been recorded in non-compliance of The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (prohibition on sale etc. of Invasive Non-native Plants) (England) Order 2014.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Enforcement of Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act is a matter for the police and Defra therefore does not hold a record of when those powers have been used.

Home Office

Drug Seizures

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the level of seizures required to put a successful drug trafficker of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis and (d) ecstasy out of business.

Mr Ben Wallace: The level of seizures required putting a successful drug trafficker of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis and (d) ecstasy out of business is impossible to estimate.  There are a number of variables which can affect the impact of disruptive activity.  Such variables include the type of commodity seized, for example drugs or cash/assets, the size and influence of a particular drug trafficking business and the roles of those arrested and convicted as a result of any seizure.  The Home Office recognises that disruption is not the only method for targeting SOC activity. The SOC strategy which was published in November 2018 outlines a set of capabilities which are designed to respond to the full range of serious and organised crime threats, including those posed by drug traffickers.  It highlights our four overarching objectives to achieve our aim: 1. Relentlessly disrupt and target action against highest harm and serious and organised criminal networks2. Build the highest levels of defence and resilience in vulnerable people, communities, business and systems3. Stop the problem at source, identifying and supporting those at risk of engaging in criminality4. Establish a single whole-system approach, expanding our global reach and pooling skills and expertise with the private sector In taking this approach, we aim to protect our citizens and our prosperity by leaving no safe space for serious and organised criminals to operate against us.

Asylum: Saudi Arabia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Saudi Arabian citizens have applied for asylum in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office publishes data, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics release, on the number of applications for asylum in the UK, broken down by nationality for each quarter, in table as_01_q (Asylum, volume 1).These data include main applicants onlyLatest edition available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/758192/asylum1-sep-2018-tables.ods

Migrant Workers

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) skilled and (b) unskilled migrants that will be allowed to move to the UK each year after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: The Government’s immigration white paper, the UK’s Future Skills-Based Immigration System, includes an economic appraisal of potential impacts of the proposed future immigration system.

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the  Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (a) makes policy changes, (b) will lead to a diminution in levels of scrutiny of project licences, (c) will lead to a diminution in the provision of statistics and reporting with regard to information on the methods of killing specified in section 2C licences, (d) weaken advancement in the area of alternative methods by removing a requirement on the Secretary of State to identify and nominate suitable laboratories to carry out validation studies on alternative strategies and (e) result in any additional impacts on animals in laboratories compared with the legislation being amended or replaced.

Mr Ben Wallace: The delivery of the animals in science regulatory framework will continue with the same standards of oversight, rigour and scrutiny following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 do not alter the requirement for the UK to publish annual statistics on the use of animals in science.The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 regulations do not alter either the Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, which sets out its administration and enforcement, nor the published Code of Practice on the housing and care requirements for animals used in science. The Code of Practice will retain the requirements of Directive 2010/63/EU and any other higher standards already adopted by the UK.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to promote the EU settlement scheme to children of non-UK EU citizens.

Caroline Nokes: We are working in partnership with vulnerable group representatives, local authorities and other experts to make sure we reach everyone.We have established a children’s specific content steering group to develop age-appropriate communications content and material for children as part of the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) communications programme.This group has members from a range of children’s rights bodies including legal experts, academics specialising in European children’s rights and communications professionals.The group recognises the need to create communications materials that provide greater detail on requirements for children to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (as well as organisations making applications on behalf of children). Any materials produced are also intended to empower children and young people to understand their legal rights as EU citizens in the UK.The intention is also to include children in the development of the content and market-test our products with children, adhering to all ethical standards, to ensure they are fit-for-purpose.  Furthermore, we are engaging regularly with local authorities regarding their responsibilities for looked after children who are impacted by the introduction of the EU Settlement Scheme and are providing guidance to help them manage these often complex cases.

St Pancras Station: Immigration Controls

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to prevent delays at passport control at the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras station in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Caroline Nokes: Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and the end of free movement, the White Paper ‘The UK’s future skills-based immigration system’ sets out the Government’s plans to improve the flow of legitimate travellers through our ports, including by making greater use of automation, and to seek reciprocal treatment for UK nationals travelling to EU Member States.And in line with the Political Declaration on the future relationship between the EU and the UK, we will continue to engage with the EU to explore the possibility to facilitate the crossing of our respective borders for legitimate travel, including at the Eurostar Terminal at St Pancras station.

Wales Office

Economic Situation: Wales

Lyn Brown: What recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on the Welsh economy of the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

Alun Cairns: The Withdrawal Agreement means we can leave the EU with a deal that honours the referendum result, while protecting our economy, security and safeguarding our Union.The Government is committed to securing legally binding changes to the backstop that would enable this House to support the deal.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Apprentices

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of staff in his Department are employed as apprentices.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Apprentices are and continue to be a valued part of DExEU’s workforce and contribute to the development of our pipeline of future talent for DExEU and the wider Civil Service.The proportion of staff at DExEU employed as apprentices, as at 31 January, is 2%.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff in his Department were directly employed on negotiations in relation to (a) new trade agreements with (i) Australia, (ii) New Zealand and (iii) the US and (b) the UK's potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and how many of those staff have since been seconded to work on concluding trade agreements with those third countries with which the EU has a signed agreement.

George Hollingbery: DIT has been conducting preparatory work in relation to potential new trade agreements with Australia, New Zealand, the US and potential accession to CPTPP. Until the UK leaves the EU no formal negotiations can be undertaken with Australia, New Zealand, the US and the CPTPP nor have they been. That is a function that will occur after the UK has left the EU. There is no one size fits all format or size for a negotiation team. Decisions on staff and resources are, therefore, still to be finalised. It should also be noted that the conduct of any negotiation will involve both front line staff and broader input covering a wider range of staff both from DIT and from other government departments.  Over recent months DIT has increased its efforts to deliver Trade Agreement Continuity with those third countries with which the EU has a signed agreement as part of our preparations for a potential No Deal scenario. Those efforts draw principally on the resources of the Trade Policy Group.  Since the Department was created its Trade Policy Group (TPG) has grown to approximately 480 people at the end of January 2019, bringing together trade policy, country specialists and experts on trade policy issues. A number of DIT staff in offshore posts are also undertaking work on market access trade policy issues.

Department for International Trade: Bullying

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff in his Department reported experiencing bullying or harassment at work in the most recent Civil Service People Survey.

George Hollingbery: Bullying and harassment have no place in any workplace, including the Civil Service. In the most recent People Survey, an average of 11% of respondents across the Civil Service reported that they'd experienced bullying or harassment at work in the 12 months preceding the survey. Whilst this figure has remained stable since 2016, we recognise that certain groups of staff are more like to say they have experienced this type of unacceptable behaviour than others. This includes staff members with long-term limiting conditions who, in the vast majority of departments and agencies, were more likely to say they'd been bullied or harassed in the last 12 months than staff members with no long-term limiting conditions. We are strengthening the routes for staff to report bullying and harassment to ensure that all staff are fully supported throughout the process, and to ensure cultures are positive and inclusive. The high-level People Survey results for each organisation, including reported rates of bullying and harassment, were published last December on gov.uk. Each spring the Cabinet Office conducts and publishes a range of further analysis on the People Survey responses, including the results by gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and health status. Similar analysis will be conducted again this year and made available on gov.uk. The results for the 2017 survey are summarised below. A copy of this table has been placed in the House.  Civil Service People Survey 2017: results by organisation and health status Long-term health status is captured in the People Survey through questions J04 and J04A. J04 asks if the individual has a "long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability?" and, if they answer yes, J04A asks whether their condition, illness or disability has an impact on their daily activity or the work they can do. Results are aggregated in to two broad categories: "No long-term limiting condition", combining those who answer No to either J04 or J04A; and, "Long-term limiting condition", those who answer Yes to J04 and who answer that their condition limits what they can do either "a little" or "a lot" at J04A. Answered “Yes” to the question “During the past 12 months have you personally experienced bullying or harassment at work?”No limiting long-term illnessHas a limiting long-term illnessAcas8%21%Accountant in Bankruptcy4%0%Animal and Plant Health Agency10%23%Attorney General's Office4%..Cabinet Office9%19%Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science7%22%Charity Commission10%22%Civil Service HR13%22%Companies House4%11%Competition and Markets Authority11%33%Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority8%31%Crown Commercial Service10%20%Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service10%35%Crown Prosecution Service8%21%Defence Electronics and Components Agency17%38%Defence Equipment & Support10%25%Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy6%15%Department for Communities and Local Government6%19%Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport4%12%Department for Education7%17%Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs7%16%Department for Exiting the European Union6%25%Department for International Development10%20%Department for International Trade10%17%Department for Transport6%14%Department for Work and Pensions8%20%Department of Health6%9%Disclosure Scotland9%27%

Overseas Trade: Commonwealth

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans he has to increase trade with (a) Commonwealth realms and (b) other countries of the Commonwealth after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: At last year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, hosted by the UK, leaders adopted a six-point Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment to boost intra-Commonwealth trade to $2 Trillion by 2030. As Chair-In-Office, the UK is committed to working with our Commonwealth partners to achieve this target. The Government is seeking continuity for existing EU trade arrangements, including those with Commonwealth countries, to ensure there is no disruption to our existing trade as we leave the EU.

Trade Agreements

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that new trade deals do not undermine the UK's existing (a) social and (b) environmental standards after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: The UK has long supported the promotion of our values globally and this will continue as we leave the EU.When we leave the European Union, we will maintain our current standards. We will keep our existing UK legislation, and the EU Withdrawal Act will convert EU law into UK law as it applies at the moment of exit.We’re clear that more trade doesn’t have to come at the expense of labour or the environment. We are exploring all options in the design of future bilateral trade and investment agreements, including possible labour and environmental provisions within these taking into account results of the DIT consultation exercise.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Facebook and Twitter: Standards

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives from (a) Facebook and (b) Twitter on the removal of abusive and harmful content from their platforms.

Margot James: Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with social media companies on a range of issues including the removal of harmful or abusive content.